WHO: Arnold Eisen
TITLE: Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary
BACKGROUND: Professor of Jewish studies, Stanford University
BACK STORY: Second non-rabbi to lead Conservative movement's flagship seminary
CHALLENGE: Bring ideological clarity and new energy to Judaism's "centrist" denomination

Two local rabbis have agreed to pilot a major project whose aim is to initiate a sweeping conversation about core beliefs of the Conservative movement among rabbis and lay people throughout the denomination.

The initiative, still in its planning stages, will include sermons and perhaps a curriculum focusing on reinvigorating traditional Jewish practices and beliefs among Conservative Jews.

The rabbis, Alan Silverstein of Congregation Agudath Israel of West Essex in Caldwell and Francine Roston of Congregation Beth El in South Orange are members of a rabbinic cabinet serving Arnold Eisen, chancellor-elect of the movement's Jewish Theological Seminary.

Eisen announced the launching of the mitzva initiative at the movement's Rabbinical Assembly convention held April 29-May 3 in Cambridge, Mass.

In an April 30 speech that brought Eisen standing ovations, he urged Conservative rabbis to think more broadly about the concept of "mitzva," which he suggested means more than simply "commandment," as it is normally defined.

The goal is to begin drawing the movement out of the doldrums marked by a message critics say has lacked clarity and has been overwhelmed by discussions of homosexuality and other pluralism issues.

Eisen suggested the movement has "largely dropped the ball" by allowing pluralism – the notion of competing views of Halacha, or Jewish law, coexisting harmoniously – to become its core message.

"Let's be mature about this," Eisen said. "Agreeing to disagree is not enough to keep a movement going."

Eisen also addressed the widely observed perception that while Conservative rabbis are fully committed to an observant Jewish lifestyle, many if not most of their congregants do not feel bound by the array of Jewish commandments concerning prayer, food, Shabbat, lifecycles, and holiday observance.

In his speech to the assembly, Eisen urged rabbis to build "tight communities" in which meaningful Jewish practice is part of the broader rhythms of life. He warned them against pursuing a top-down pedagogy that begins with asserting the requirements of Jewish law.

Instead of rabbis preaching about what everyone is obliged to do, he said, they need to create strong bonds of community that make obligations to one another and to God much more appealing to a contemporary person.

The mitzva initiative will begin a process of clarifying and redefining the message of Conservative Judaism, according to Silverstein.

He and Roston said the announcement of the initiative marks the culmination of months of discussion on the subject within the chancellor's rabbinic cabinet.

"This is not an initiative where we will lay out a five-point definition of what it means to perform mitzvot," said Roston. "That's something Eisen could have done. Instead, he is choosing to approach this from what I think is his core understanding of Torah as a process, a dialogue between God and the Jewish people and amongst the Jewish people.

"One great thing about this initiative," she added, "is that it does not just promote programs within individual synagogues but also promotes a conversation across the movement, and not just through rabbis going out to teach but with lay people going out as well."

Silverstein applauded Eisen for addressing critical issues and pushing the movement forward. "It's a blessing to us," he said. "We have been weighted down over internal debates on ideological issues and have not been able to look at other pieces of the challenges our movement faces."

Silverstein also said that an effort to engage people in a discussion of mitzvot will help unify the movement after the divisions over the December decision to ordain gay rabbis.

"Whether you are a modernist or a traditionalist, you will be very engaged in discussing the idea of mitzva," said Silverstein. "It's a unifying, mutually productive, and healing process."

Members of the chancellor's cabinet have agreed to pilot the initiative during the 2007-08 year. Eisen has asked rabbis to devote one High Holy Day sermon to the concept of mitzva.

While other details of the curriculum have not been released, Roston said that members of the cabinet spent a fair amount of time talking about the importance of sharing personal stories, which she expects will be a part of the project.

"People are inspired by stories – by seeing how someone experiences Jewish life. We watch what other people are doing Jewishly and whether they do things with enthusiasm or joy; then we are either inspired or we turn away," she said.

While she said she plans to follow the curriculum offered to ensure a successful pilot, she is also planning to create a "spirituality" workshop at Beth El that would at least dovetail with the initiative. The curriculum and/or projects will be developed by staff and faculty at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

In his speech to the Rabbinical Assembly, Eisen also argued that Jewish life must be lived inside what he called a "plausibility structure" – the social and cultural context that makes religious claims meaningful and convincing.

"Jews are living in a time and space that is not Jewish," he said. The claims of obligation "are not plausible unless they come in a situation of community."

Above all, the movement must intensely engage its congregants in a way that rivals what is frequently found in Orthodox communities. There is a hunger for that, Eisen said, and the Conservative movement must provide it.